Ivy Ashe
The Dukes County pest management program will be discontinued beginning July 1 due to lack of funding. County manager Martina Thornton notified selectmen and town administrators of the decision in a letter sent last Friday.
The program would have been funded by just two towns, Chilmark and Aquinnah, for the fiscal 2014 year.
Acting behind closed doors, the Tisbury selectmen voted without dissent Monday to fire a Tisbury police officer who is the subject of a criminal complaint and who has had a recent history of misconduct.
Kelly Kershaw, 30, was terminated following a nearly three-hour executive session that was attended by the three town selectmen, their town administrator, Ms. Kershaw and her attorney. Her attorney told the Gazette later in the week that Ms. Kershaw, who had been employed with the police department since 2004, will take action to dispute the decision.
Track and field senior Maggie Riseborough competed in the New England Outdoor Track and Field Championships in New Britain, Conn., on June 8, marking the second straight year she has represented the Vineyard and the state at the meet. Riseborough qualified for New Englands with a top-four finish at the Massachusetts All-State meet on June 1, which featured athletes from all levels of high school competition. The Vineyard competes in division four.
At New Englands, Riseborough placed 24th in a field of 35 with a throw of 34 feet, six inches.
Postseason play begins this weekend for the MV United travel soccer squads, who had an outstanding season even by the high standards of the Vineyard league. Of the eight teams in the program eligible for the South Coast Soccer League postseason, five made it to the playoffs: both under-11 boys’ squads, the under-13 girls’ team, the under-15 girls team, and the under-18 boys’ team. The under-18 team, largely sophomores, finished first in their division and will host Westport in the first round on Sunday at Veterans Field. Game time is at 1:30 p.m.
After seeing a steady decrease in overall numbers for years, Vineyard softball is at a critical point for sustaining the sport.
Just 11 players — two more than the minimum needed to field a team — suited up for the varsity high school team this year, with 10 at the jayvee level. Only four freshmen came out for the teams. The once-thriving Babe Ruth softball league, for girls aged 8 to 16, had no teams at all this year and what was once a staple of afterschool life, the junior high program, will no longer be offered as of next spring.
Marking history in the high school tennis program, the Vineyard boys will go to the division three state finals for the second straight year follow